A report from the UN-REDD Programme side event at the UN High Level Conference on South-South Cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya, 2 December 2009

During the UN High Level Conference on South-South Cooperation, a side event on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) was held on Wednesday, 2 December 2009 from 1- 2:30pm.

The event was chaired by Tim Kasten, Deputy Director, Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, UNEP and featured the film “REDD as part of the solution” which was produced by the UN-REDD Programme. There was also a presentation by Mario Boccucci, Chief, Terrestrial Ecosystems Unit, UNEP that gave an overview of REDD and the UN-REDD Programme.

The video and presentation were followed by a lively discussion about south-south collaboration and specific questions about REDD. The Argentinean Ambassador to Kenya, Daniel Chuburu, gave a statement about the importance of REDD in Argentina, the development of a national REDD strategy and national workshops that Argentina has held to bring together stakeholders and share lessons learned.

A representative from Kenya asked a practical question about how Kenya could become an observer country in the UN-REDD Programme. Other representatives from Tanzania, Kenya and Brazil asked questions about awareness raising with the general public, individuals and companies benefiting from carbon payments, and issues of competition among recipient nations. The side event ended with Peter Ndunda of the Green Belt Movement bringing up many of the inherent challenges of REDD but also the potential for gains and development and the importance of involving the community.